Political ethics

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Poor People's Campaign will hold bus tours of poverty-stricken areas in more than 20 states to call attention to "what the national emergencies really are" in the wake of President Donald Trump's emergency declaration over the U.S.-Mexico border, a leader of the campaign...

FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2017 file photo, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn speaks during the daily news briefing at the White House, in Washington. The Democrat-led House oversight committee launched an investigation Tuesday into whether senior officials in President Donald Trump’s White House worked to transfer nuclear power technology to Saudi Arabia as part of a deal that would financially benefit prominent Trump supporters. The proposal was pushed by former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who was fired in early 2017, but it has remained under consideration by the Trump administration despite concerns from Democrats and Republicans that Saudi Arabia could develop nuclear weapons if the U.S. technology was transferred without proper safeguards. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior White House officials pushed a project to share nuclear power technology with Saudi Arabia despite the objections of ethics and national security officials, according to a new congressional report citing whistleblowers within the Trump administration. Lawmakers from both...

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats are stepping up their efforts to investigate President Donald Trump and his associates, hiring new lawyers and staff as they take on oversight responsibility and prepare for a showdown over access to special counsel Robert Mueller's final Russia report. House...

FILE - In this June 14, 2018, file photo, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, of San Diego, addresses members of the Senate in Sacramento, Calif. On Friday, Feb. 1, 2019, the California Legislature is opening an independent office to handle investigations of alleged workplace misconduct, including sexual harassment or discrimination. "Our goals are clear: we need to protect victims and witnesses, hold perpetrators accountable, and restore employee and public confidence," said Atkins. But she added: "I realize we cannot be satisfied with our progress, because this step alone will not change the culture of this building." (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — In the first week of 2019, an investigation by Oregon's labor agency deemed the state Capitol to be a hostile workplace because of an unchecked pattern of sexual harassment among lawmakers. A few days later, two Washington state lawmakers accused of sexual misconduct...

FILE - In this May 27, 2015, file photo, John Rakolta Jr., speaks at the Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island, Mich. When Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, no U.S. ambassador was there to welcome him. The post has been vacant for nine months. The Republican donor President Donald Trump chose for the job, Rakolta, hasn’t been approved by the Senate. (Tanya Moutzalias/The Ann Arbor News via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, no U.S. ambassador was there to welcome him. The post has been vacant for nine months. The Republican donor President Donald Trump chose for the job, John Rakolta Jr., hasn't been approved by the...

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — State lawmakers in New York are unveiling new measures intended to address chronic corruption problem in a state where 30 lawmakers have left office facing criminal or ethical allegations since 2000. Democratic Sen. Liz Krueger on Tuesday announced a proposed constitutional...

In this Jan. 3, 2019, photo, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., gestures before a ceremonial swearing-in on Capitol Hill in Washington, during the opening session of the 116th Congress. House Democrats are unveiling a comprehensive elections and ethics reform package that takes aim at what they call “the culture of corruption in Washington” and reduces the role of money in politics. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats are unveiling a comprehensive elections and ethics reform package that targets what they call a "culture of corruption in Washington" and aims to reduce the role of money in politics. The bill is one of the first to be considered as Democrats take control of the...

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2018 file photo, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke speaks at EPA headquarters in Washington. Newly-departed Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says he's been truthful with investigators looking into numerous ethics complaints against him and has no knowledge of a report that he lied. Zinke's comments came after The Washington Post reported Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019, that the Justice Department's public integrity section was examining whether he lied to investigators from Interior's office of inspector general. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Newly departed U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke told The Associated Press on Thursday that he's been truthful with investigators looking into numerous ethics complaints against him and rejected as inaccurate a report that he's under investigation for lying. Zinke's comments...

Government class students Alejandra Corral, left, and Braxton Moral work on calculating the estimated cost of living expenses as part of a talk about students who graduate high school making on average more money than non-graduates, at Ulysses High School in Ulysses, Kan., on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018. (Sandra J. Milburn/The Hutchinson News via AP)

ULYSSES, Kan. (AP) — A 16-year-old Kansas boy will soon earn his high school diploma — and a few days later he'll travel to Harvard to collect his bachelor's degree. Ulysses High School senior Braxton Moral will attend both commencement ceremonies in May, becoming the only student to successfully...

FILE - In this Jan. 5, 2016, file photo, then-Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., attends a gathering at the East Room of the White House in Washington. Esty. forced to abandon her re-election campaign amid criticism over her handling of an alleged incident of sexual harassment could have done more to protect her staff but didn’t violate congressional rules, according to the House Ethics Committee.(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Democratic congresswoman forced to abandon her re-election campaign amid criticism over her handling of an alleged incident of sexual harassment could have done more to protect her staff but didn't violate congressional rules, according to an ethics report released Thursday. Rep...